SOUTH AFRICA: Despite the prolonged fishing rights allocation process and the fact that the appeals process is ongoing, the South African Deep-Sea Trawling Industry Association (SADSTIA) reports that continued engagement amongst its members as well as with government has helped maintain the body's position in the industry.

NIGERIA: The Nigerian Navy signed a contract with a Turkish shipyard on Friday for the refit and remodelling of their flagship frigate, the NNS Aradu.

Based on its geographical position and history within the Maritime sector, South Africa possesses a great potential to provide industry leadership on the African content and can act as a key driver of the African Maritime Agenda, but recent developments including the loss of their seat on the International Maritime Organization Council should prompt the country’s leadership to take stock of its future position in this regard.

MAURITIUS: A draft plan to facilitate ongoing development of an effective national oil spill preparedness and response framework was produced at a workshop co-organised by IMO and the Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries & Shipping, Mauritius from 22 to 24 May.

Rodents and insects remain a major cause for concern on ships where no pest prevention systems are in place, creating an unsafe work environment, not only for the crew on board, but also for the ship owners’ assets.

SOUTH AFRICA: The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) plans to undertake further consultation to achieve support for the West Coast Rock Lobster (WCRL) poaching reduction strategy which includes a co-management structure, a system to regulate marketers and capacity building within the small scale sectors as well as monitoring and control teams.

NIGERIA: Independent experts met in Lagos last week to discuss the draft Supplementary Act Relating to the Suppression of Illicit Maritime Activities in Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which aims to promote cooperation and strengthen the operational legal framework to combat illicit activities committed at sea.

SOMALIA: Fifteen Somalia Navy and Coast Guard (SNCG) officers have completed specialised training on maritime security in a joint initiative conducted by the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) and European Union Capacity Building Mission in Somalia (EUCAP Somalia).